Lunar New Year Celebrates Year of the Horse in Chinatown
The lunar New Year kicked off in Sara D. Roosevelt in Chinatown on Feb. 17. The 15-day celebration includes a big parade and festival through the streets of Chinatown on March 1 and the historic Lantern parade on March 3.
| 22 Feb 2026 | 05:17
Dragons at the kickoff of the Year of the Fire Horse at Sara D. Roosevelt Park in Chinatown on Feb. 17. (
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On the grandstand were Captain Michael Lam (left), commanding officer of the 5th precint, which covers Chinatown and city council member Christopher Marte (middle). (
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Brian Kavanagh (far right) was on the grandstand presiding over his last Lunar New York celebration as the New York State Senator representing the neighborhood. He’s not seeking re-election. (
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Many locals donned traditional costumes for the annual kickoff celebration at Sara D. Roosevelt Park in Chinatown on Feb. 17. (
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Assembly member Grace Lee, who is seeking a NYS Senate seat being vacated by Brian Kavanagh, displays New Year’s greetings in English while a staffer displays the greeting in Mandarin Chinese. (
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Dan Goldman, on the grandstand at the kickoff celebration of Lunar New Year in Sara D. Roosevelt Park in Chinatown, gets ready to pop a confetti stick on Feb. 17. (
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A vendor of confetti sticks does a brisk business at the Lunar New Year kickoff. (
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Because the kickoff to the Lunar New Year occurred during the public school mid-winter break, there were more students present this year, including this cute brother and sister decked out in traditional outfits. (
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Just in case you can’t read Mandarin, this local provides an English translation right below the symobls. (
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It’s been two years since the Rabbit was the star of the New Year, but he still shows up to wish his successor, the Fire Horse, well. (
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Locals get ready to hoist their dragon at the Lunar New York kickoff on Feb. 17. (
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It may be the Year of the Fire Horse, but no Lunar New Year celebration is complete without plenty of dragons, such as this one at the kickoff celebration in Sara D. Roosevelt Park on Feb. 17. (
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The Fire Horse Lunar New Year Firecracker Ceremony and Cultural Festival in Sara D. Roosevelt Park in Chinatown was alive with lion dancers, firecrackers, confetti poppers, and a crowd of families, students and local leaders on February 17 to mark the start of the Lunar New Year.
The year of the Horse is traditionally associated with strength, momentum, and determination. And while the celebrant ion drew thousands of spectators to the 7.5 acre park for the traditional kickoff, no parade in the city is complete without some political intrigues playing in the background.
Lunar New Year is now an official holiday on the public school calendar, pointed out Assembly member Grace Lee, chair of the Asian Pacific American Task force in that legislative body, but this year it also fell within the public school mid-winter break week.
Lee was on the scene of course as was Congressman Dan Goldman and former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander who is trying to unseat Goldman in a Democratic primary in June, former Assembly member Yuh‑Line Niou, a grassroots advocate in Lower Manhattan and council member Chris Marte, whose district includes Chinatown. Also on hand: New York State Senator Brian Kavanagh, presiding over his last Lunar New as an elected official since he is not seeking re-election and Assembly member Lee, who wants the soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat.
Goldman in his re-election bid has the backing of most of New York’s leading Democratic officials while Lander was endorsed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani. [Mamdani, btw, skipped the 27th annual Lunar New Year celebration at Sara D. Roosevelt Park.] There is a wrinkle in the race Congressional because of speculation that a court ordered redistricting of a district made up largely of Staten Island and a small slice of Brooklyn--now held by the city’s sole elected Republican member of Congress, Nicole Malliotakis--could be merged into a new district that includes downtown Manhattan. If that happens, there is speculation that Goldman might run in the 10th Congressional district in Brooklyn, leaving Lander to seek the Dem nomination in a redrawn 11th versus Malliotakis.
Goldman revealed a plan to make the local languages of southeast Asia more accessible. “We are making language access available to all of the communities that use characters and not letters, (stamping out) anti‑Asian hate, through education, and public safety.
Lander spoke about the celebration’s role in bringing people together. “It’s one of the best celebrations of the year. Gets the whole community together, to celebrate the Chinese New Year,” he said.
Students seemed to turn out in greater numbers this year than a year earlier when the start of the Lunar New Year was a school holiday for the first time.
“I think the celebration is really colorful and really interesting,” said one high school student. “I think it’s pretty cool.”
Another spoke of the problem of anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination. “Even though China is a really major place, there’s still discrimination around. And so it’s really cool to see... allowing the Chinese culture and all the API Asian culture to really shine all over the New Year’s Day. It’s really symbolic.”
For many young residents, the celebration offered a rare opportunity to connect with heritage amid the daily rhythms of school and life.
“Even though my school has a lot of Chinese students, we just study, take classes, take tests, but we never really get to... celebrate our heritage. So this is pretty cool,” Wei Lou, a Stuyvesant High School student, said.
A report from the New York State Comptroller’s Office fund that anti‑Asian‑motivated incidents spiked sharply during the COVID‑19 pandemic, rising from just five reported cases in 2019 to 140 by 2021, and though those numbers have declined in recent years, they still remain at levels about 11 times higher than before the pandemic.
“No matter what your background is, hate of any kind is not okay. We have to lift up people of all backgrounds and make sure that everybody gets access to the American dream,” Goldman said.
Yuh‑Line Niou, who previously served the district that includes Chinatown, emphasized the shared experience of residents regardless of origin.
“As an Asian American here in New York, it’s really kind of just showing that we belong here and that this is our home,” she said. “For the entire city to be celebrating us means a lot to me.”
Francesca Gilbard, a Columbia University student, summed it up plainly: “I think running towards your goals this year for the Year of the Horse.”
“We’re seeing so many different types of people out here [embodying the Fire Horse], coming despite the cold weather,” she added.
The celebrations continued with Museum of the Chinese in America hosting a variety of activities underway at 215 Center St. on Feb. 21, including a line dance performance by the United East Athletics Association, a performance by acclaimed musician Danting Qiao and a fan dance workshop.
Further uptown of Feb. 21, Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park held a day full of free events including music, dance, storytelling, and hands-on activities.
The 15-day Lunar New Year celebration is highlighted by a parade and festival through the streets of Chinatown on Sunday March 1, and wraps up with the traditional Parade of Lanterns on March 3.